NEWS OF THE DAY
From Around the World
1 Official fired: Prime Minister Theresa May of Britain on Wednesday abruptly fired her defense secretary, Gavin Williamson, blaming him for a leak of government information about a Chinese company’s role in sensitive telecommunications infrastructure, one of the most serious such leaks in recent years. May’s announcement was made after an investigation into a report in the Daily Telegraph about discussions in Britain’s National Security Council, of which Williamson was a member. The report suggested that May had overruled objections from some senior council members to allow the Chinese company, Huawei, to build some elements of the next-generation cellular data network known as 5G, though the government later said that no decision had yet been made. The leak provoked a negative reaction from the United States, which has been on a campaign to pressure other countries to bar Huawei from building 5G networks.
2 Racist ideology: New Zealand’s major media organizations pledged Wednesday not to promote white supremacist ideology when covering the trial of the man charged with killing 50 people at two mosques. The five organizations that signed the agreement said they were aware that accused gunman Brenton Tarrant might try to use the trial as a platform to promote white supremacist or “terrorist” views. The organizations said the commitment extended to coverage of Tarrant’s 74-page manifesto and broadcasting symbolic images. That clause came after Tarrant made a hand gesture at his first court appearance, which is sometimes associated with white supremacists. Tarrant, a 28year-old Australian, has been charged with 50 counts of murder and 39 counts of attempted murder following the March 15 attacks in Christchurch. He has not yet entered a plea and remains in a high-security prison in Auckland pending his next court appearance on June 14.
3 Internet control: Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed into law a measure expanding government control over the internet that critics say will lead to widespread censorship. The law, signed Wednesday, requires internet providers to install equipment to route Russian internet traffic through servers in the country. Proponents said it is a defense measure in case the United States or other hostile powers cut off the internet for Russia. Critics say that would increase the power of state agencies to control information. Users, they add, would find it harder to circumvent government restrictions, and the quality of the connection may suffer.
4 Migrants rescued: Libya’s coast guard says it has rescued 96 Europe-bound migrants off the Mediterranean coast. A spokesman said Wednesday a rubber boat carrying the migrants, mostly from Africa, stopped Tuesday off the coast of the western town of Khoms. He says the migrants were given humanitarian and medical aid, and were taken to a refugee camp in the town.
5 Education cuts: Education officials in Brazil’s far-right government say they are slashing university funding 30%, a move at least partly motivated by complaints about partisan activities on campus. Education Minister Abraham Weintraub said Tuesday that he had cut the budget of three federal universities — Brasilia, Bahia and Fluminense — because of their ideological stance and poor performance. Weintraub complained about political events, partisan demonstrations and other events that he said are inappropriate for a university.